The present invention relates to the use of 3D pointers. These pointing devices are used for a variety of different purposes: control the functionalities of a TV set or a tablet, using or not a set top box, control a presentation on a desktop or a larger screen, play games, etc. A 3D pointer includes motion sensors which capture the motion imparted to the pointer by a user handling it. In most applications, the motion of the device in space is converted into the motion of a virtual object, often times a cursor, in a plane, generally a display. By controlling the object and moving it across the plane, the user is able to command the execution of specific functions, like e.g. selection of a program, control of an audio or a video stream, creation of drawings and graphics, etc. Depending on the use case, the precision of the control of the movement of the object will be more or less important. Generally speaking, high precision is needed when the movements of the pointer are slow (for example when drawing) and low precision is possible when the movements are quick (for example when selecting items). Therefore, the need for precision may vary continuously. If it were possible to use algorithms which provide high precision consistently over time, the best would of course be to use such an algorithm. However, the experimental evidence shows that all algorithms have pros and cons. For example, a relative pointing algorithm, where the position of the virtual object on the display is determined by adding displacements to the previous position based on the angular velocities of the pointer, may drift over time. Conversely, an absolute pointing algorithm, where the position of the virtual object on the display is derived from the attitude of the pointer in the frame of reference of the display, is more robust than the former over time, but is less accurate. It would therefore be desirable to be capable to use both algorithms, or a combination thereof, in order to take advantage of their positive characteristics. US patent application published under no US2011/227825 discusses the combination of pointing algorithms. According to this disclosure, different combinations of algorithms may be selected depending on the application. However, there is no hint therein that a combination of this type should be adapted dynamically and continuously to best match the variation of the requirement for e.g. precision.